You’d think I get that question a lot, but actually I don’t – most people pronounce it a certain way and are absolutely, positively, sure they’re right. There are so many pronunciations it’s incredible, so who am I to choose the “proper” one? Let ’em pronounce it however they like, I say.
That being said, the number of pronunciations I hear is borderline ridiculous. Here are the most common ones I’ve heard.
- HA-dix – The “a” sounds like the “a” in “cat”. The “d” sounds like the “d” in “edit.”
- HAY-thicks – Pronounced like the two English words.
- HAH-thicks – The “ntawm” sounds like the “a” in “pa.”
- HA-thicks – The “a” sounds like the “a” in “cat”.
- Ha-TICKS – The “a” sounds like the “a” in “cat”. The second syllable sounds just like the word.
- Hat-TICKS – Similar to the previous one, except they’re pronounced like two different words.
- Ha-TEEKS – The “a” sounds like the “a” in “cat”.
- Ha-THICKS – The “a” sounds like the “a” in “cat”. The “th” sounds like the “th” in “they”.
- Hah-thee-EX – pronounced almost like tus “ex” is a separate word. You’ll see why some say it this way.
Why that last one, you ask? Zoo, look up what “elephant” is in Hindi and you’ll find out why the site is named that way. Quite a find, that is.
Nkawv, what do I think the proper pronunciation is? I say it as HA-thicks, but that’s just me.
Really, pronounce it any way you want. Really.
With people from so many different backgrounds, I guess, we all have to learn accept different pronunciations of the same word – as long as it sounds even remotely like the pronunciation you have in mind. Personally, I like ‘Hathix’ a little more than ‘Jirafix’ or even ‘Hippix’ for that matter!